This invention relates to a device for securing one or a plurality of objects to a variety of surfaces.
It is often desirable to secure open beverage containers to a moving surface, such as a deck, dashboard, or table in a boat or recreational vehicle. While it is desirable to prevent sliding and tipping of the container due to acceleration, i.e. changes in the speed, orientation or direction of the vehicle, it is of course desirable to have the ability to lift the container for the purpose of drinking or pouring from it. Previously, various attempts have been made to design devices that would accomplish these somewhat contradictory purposes.
It is known to coat the bottoms of beverage containers with a non-slip material to reduce slippage. However, this significantly increases the cost of manufacture of the container and, in addition, does not address the problem of tipping. In fact, such an arrangement actually increases the tendency of the container to overturn because a sheer force acting on the container at its center of mass (which is located above its support surface) will cause a rotational moment about the non-slip interface. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,413,302, 5,273,182, 4,836,488, 4,137,356, 3,847,324, 4,978,566, and 4,040,549 disclose various slip resistant coasters and cup holders. A separate coaster or cup holder having a non-slip material reduces the cost of the container, but does not address the other limitations mentioned above.
Insulated beverage holder xe2x80x9csleevesxe2x80x9d have also been used to reduce slippage of beverage containers on movable surfaces. Such a beverage holder is usually constructed of polystyrene and is configured to essentially surround the container. Such a device may have a non-slip surface to decrease the likelihood of slippage. In addition, a base of increased diameter may serve to somewhat increase the stability of the container against tipping. However, because there is necessarily a thickness associated with the base portion, such a device serves to raise the center of gravity of the container to attendantly increase the likelihood of spillage.
A wide variety of devices, referred to as suction cups, or suction devices, have been, disclosed that secure objects by utilizing a partial vacuum formed between the device and the attachment surface. In one form or another, such suction devices generally rely on having a non-porous flexible lip fully seated on a non-porous surface to create a partial vacuum thereby suctionally adhering the device, with an attached object, to a surface. Objects are attached, either permanently or temporarily, to the suction device, which is attached, either permanently or temporarily, to a surface. In other examples the order of attachment is reversed. The attachment between the object and the suction device is described as being attached xe2x96xa1 to xe2x96xa1 or xe2x96xa1 on xe2x96xa1 the object or suction device, rather than xe2x80x9cthroughxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cinxe2x80x9d the suction device.
Recently, it has been known to utilize a suction device to secure a beverage container to a surface. Such a device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,795,525 issued to Cross et al. The holding device disclosed therein consists essentially of an initially flat, flexible disc secured to the concave bottom of an aluminum beverage can. The diameter of the disc is larger than that of the can. The disk is deformed into a concave shape in conformance with the bottom surface of the can. When placed upon a table or the like, the weight of the can sets a suction or vacuum chamber created by the convex shape of the disk and its flexible edges that protrude from the peripheral edges of the can. The non-slip characteristics of the disk minimize slippage of the can. In addition, the protruding edges of the disk add stability to the can.
However, the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,525 has several limitations. In particular, this device is only suitable for use with a container having a concave bottom. In addition, since the suction chamber has a relatively large volume the device requires a significant displacement due to the weight of the can in order to set the suction. By the same token, it is difficult to break the seal thereof. In order to overcome this, a vent hole or passage may be provided to eliminate the sealing effect and thus the suction holding ability of the device. The vented Cross device can then be lifted without any manipulation of the coaster. Such a devise is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,132, however, this devise comprises an article holder which is only suitable for attachment of an object with an appropriate size and shape.
U.S. Des. Pat. No. 357,170 discloses a double-sided suction cup for dinnerware, which has a downwardly concave body that apparently functions by securing to an attaching surface and an upwardly concave body that attaches to a dinner plate such that, by imposing downward pressure, there forms between the dinner plate and the attaching surface a vacuum chamber. Another suction device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,043, which teaches a magnetic rubber suction disc used for detachably securing an alarming device to a metal surface. This device, however, does not interact well with other objects as it is permanently affixed to the alarming device; furthermore, it is apparently unsuitable for attachment to plastic, drywall, wood, ceramics, and other non-metallic surfaces. In these examples, the suction device increases the distance between the bottom of the object and the top of the attaching surface, thus decreasing stability.
Further suction devices are known, with various improvements, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,760,987, 5,511,752, 5,133,524 and 5,742,971, however, no single device is yet known to have universal utility. Specifically, these suction devices remain generally unsuitable as they are designed to produce only one or more of the following effects or features: double-suction; enhanced release; device specific; surface specific; or enhanced suction. The prior art does not provide for positioning the object in or through the device, which would facilitate improved stability. The secured object in the prior art is either permanently mounted to the top of the suction device, or is temporarily secured by a hook, hanger, or clasp either permanently or temporarily attached to the top of the suction device.
In addition, the prior art usually secures the object using a relatively small area of attachment per suction device. The area of attachment to the object is usually small in relation to the size of the object which has the effect of reducing stability. There are no internal design features that ensure some measure of proportionality between the size of the object, the area of the object attachment point, and the area of attachment to the surface.
There remains a need, therefore, for a suction device that can interact with a variety of objects for the purpose of temporary attachment to a variety of surfaces, and that allows an object to be inserted in and through the device. There is also a need for a suction device with an expanded attachment area for interaction with both an object and with the surface, to provide increased stability. Ideally, the design should exhibit a measure of proportionality between the size of the object, the area of the object attachment, and the area of attachment to the surface, an internal feature of that design would make significant contributions to the stability of the attachment.
In light of the foregoing, it is thus an object of the present invention to provide a device for securing objects that overcomes some of the deficiencies of the prior art devices.
This background information is provided for the purpose of making known information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present invention. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art against the present invention. Publications referred to throughout the specification are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties in this application.
An object of the present invention is to provide a device for removably securing objects. In accordance with an aspect of the present invention there is provided a device for removably securing objects comprising: (a) flexible material; (b) one or more opening(s) in said material, whereby said opening is capable of forming a continuous seal with a portion of an object, said flexible material is able to form a continuous seal with a surface capable of forming a partial vacuum, and said opening is positioned within the boundaries of said material whereby sufficient material remains surrounding said opening to enable a continuous seal to be formed with said surface when:
(1) an object is inserted into said opening forming a seal between the object and the opening and
(2) said device is pressed against said surface in a manner that causes a continuous seal to form between the flexible material and said surface, in a manner that displaces air to create a partial vacuum, thereby removably securing said object to said surface.